This readable and informative graphic novel biography of the tennis star covers her on-court successes as well as her efforts towards inclusion and equality of women, LGBTQ people (including trans athletes), and others.
The story begins as the young and athletic Billie Jean finds her favorite sport, tennis, and does odd jobs in her neighborhood in order to earn enough money for a racket. We follow her through her rising success—but also see her growing awareness of the exclusion of non-White athletes and the unfairness towards female ones.
The book shows us her dominance in the sport during the 1960s and 70s, along with her work to pass Title IX, start a women’s professional tennis tour, and create the Women’s Sports Foundation, among other achievements. Author Donna Tapellini also takes the time to explain how these initiatives helped women and girls, both in sports and off the field.
We also see a thoughtful treatment of Billie Jean’s coming out as she realizes, “I think I’m a lesbian. I’m attracted to women, not men,” finds herself in love with Ilana Kloss, her doubles partner, and amicably divorces her then-husband. As a lesbian, she faced discrimination and a loss of sponsors, particularly as the AIDS epidemic grew and triggered anti-LGBTQ sentiment, but continued to speak out for the LGBTQ community. One panel shows a woman with a picture of King and a rainbow flag on her wall, saying to herself, “If it’s OK for Billie Jean, then it’s OK for me too”—a nice depiction of her influence.
Unlike some biographies for this age group, however, discussion of her queer identity isn’t confined to just one section. We read about her coaching the 1996 and 2000 Olympic teams, but then move back to a spread about marriage equality, her wedding to Kloss, and her being the grand Marshall of New York City’s Pride parade. She’s “still fighting to level the playing field” for women in sports, the book adds, and “she speaks out against the discrimination faced by trans athletes” and seeks to do more for girls of color, differently abled athletes, and LGBTQ+ kids. “Let’s get to work!” she tells readers, in a panel that shows her surrounded by young people of these identities.
The book ends by noting some of her many honors from world leaders and others.
This is a terrific short biography, covering not only King’s sporting achievements but also thoughtfully showing the wider importance of her human rights work. It also spends more time discussing her coming out and her LGBTQ-rights work than most other biographies of her for this age range.
The publisher has marked the book for children 7 to 10 years old, so I am tagging it as both a chapter book and a middle grade title. It doesn’t have chapters, but the amount of text and reading level feels similar to that of chapter books, although it also feels substantial enough that younger middle grade readers (particularly graphic novel fans) should enjoy it, too. A recommended title even for bookshelves that already have other biographies of King on them.
